UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — "Dare to Disrupt LIVE: Innovating the Future of Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure" brought together three Penn State alumni at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution to explore the challenges and opportunities shaping the industry's future.
This live episode recording, which took place during the Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference, featured an engaging discussion with Benjamin Birnbaum (Keyframe, Terawatt), Zander Isaacson (Xeal), and Diallo Powell (Stak Mobility) as they shared insights on EV infrastructure, charging technology, and the role of innovation in accelerating adoption.
Listen to the "Dare to Disrupt" live event recording here.
Benjamin Birnbaum is co-founder and partner at Keyframe, a New York City-based investment firm focused on the energy transition’s impact on industry. Prior to Keyframe, he founded Terawatt, an infrastructure developer, owner, and operator for large-scale EV charging. Terawatt has raised over $1 billion and provides fleet charging for companies like Pepsi and Waymo. Birnbaum is a graduate of the Penn State Smeal College of Business.
Diallo Powell is co-founder and CEO of Stak Mobility, which addresses urban mobility challenges with an automated vertical carousel system for vehicle storage and EV charging — combining smart software with space-saving infrastructure. Powell graduated from the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts.
Zander Isaacson is co-founder and CEO of Xeal, a technology-first, EV-charging company at the intersection of proptech, energy and the Internet of Things. Xeal partners with more than 70 of the largest real estate companies nationwide. Isaacson is a Penn State Smeal College of Business graduate.
Together, Birnbaum, Powell and Isaacson discuss the broader trends and challenges shaping the EV landscape, how their companies are uniquely tackling these issues, strategies for scaling and financing capital-intensive projects, and their predictions for the future of the industry.
Those interested can listen to the live episode recording.
About 'Dare to Disrupt'
"Dare to Disrupt" is a podcast from Invent Penn State about University alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders, and the stories behind their success. The podcast is hosted by alumnus Ryan Newman, a graduate of the Smeal College of Business and a Schreyer Scholar alumnus who is now a managing director at Goldman Sachs.
Past episodes include interviews with Garry Gilliam, David Rusenko and Jess Weiner. New episodes are released monthly. Subscribe on YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.